Webupon

Google

www.google.com

Anyone who has ever used the internet is familiar with the Google search engine for finding information on the web. But, there are many other services available at Google:

MAPS

Google, like mapquest.com, will generate a map for any address or intersection in the U.S.A. It will also give directions to/from any location to any other location.

GMAIL (can be reached at www.gmail.com)

This web email can be reached on-line via a browser – not via a pop mail program. It has an excellent spam remover. The space allowed for email is so great, that you never have to delete an email. I only delete the spam, after I verify that it is not mail I really want. Gmail also allows you to chat with anyone else who has gmail, and accepts your information to chat. It will even tell you if these contacts are currently on-line and in gmail. There are a number of extensions to the Firefox browser for gmail. One in particular, called gspace, allows the user to transfer files from the PC to gmail and vice versa. The interface looks just like FTP.

GROUPS

Groups allows you to join groups of people with the same interests. If no group exists for your interests, you can create a group. These groups are list serves. In other words, an email system where anyone in the group can send an email, and all the members of the group receive the email. The owner assigns moderators who decide who may join the group – or be removed from the group.

CALENDAR

Self explanatory. It allows generating repetitive events.

DOCUMENTS

Create and share your documents on-line. It allows you to edit word processing files and excel files on-line.

PICASA

Picasa is an excellent photo display program that you download from Google Picasa. It allows you to create albums and share them with others on the internet. Picasa, starting up for the first time, will automatically find all pictures on your PC and catalog them by year and by folder.

EARTH

To quote Google : “Google Earth lets you fly anywhere on Earth to view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, 3D buildings and even explore galaxies in the Sky. You can explore rich geographical content, save your toured places and share with others”.

OTHER STUFF

There are numerous other functions available through Google, but there is not enough room to discuss them all. You can explore the various features from google. If you use the Firefox browser, there are numerous add-ons available. There is even a Google tool bar which can quickly get you to any Google function. Be aware that Google notebook is being phased out. Do not use it. Use Evernote instead.

Note: There is another site zoho.com which has many of the same functions as Google, and a few different ones.

Pandora

www.pandora.com

This site allows you to choose the music you want to hear. You define a station by the title of a song, or by the name of the artist. Then, that station only plays songs appropriate to that song or performer. It will play songs of different artists who sing similar songs and/or have similar musical qualities. Each time a song is played, you have the opportunity to say “I like it”, or “I don’t like it”. If you indicate that you don’t like a song, Pandora will stop playing it – and never play it again. If you indicate that you like the song, Pandora will determine the qualities of the song, and find more like it. The longer you do this, the closer the music will be to your taste. There is no limit to the number of stations you can generate.

Evernote

www.evernote.com

On the web, create, clip, and share notes that can be seen from everywhere. Download a program Evernote that will allow you to create, clip and save notes on your PC. There is a function to synchronize your on-line and off-line notes. You can add notes into the program by typing, pasting or dragging. In the Firefox browser, you can add an extension which will add an “Evernote button” to the tool bar. To copy anything in a browser (text or images), highlight what you want and hit the evernote button or right click the mouse and select “Add to Evernote”. You can search across your notes for any text. Both the evernote program and registering for an on-line account is free. There is also a “premium Evernote” which costs $5.

Stumbleupon

www.stumbleupon.com

When you register with stumbleupon, you select the kinds of web sites you like from the following list:News

• News
• Photos
• Videos
• Arts
• Business
• Fun
• Health
• Computers
• Lifestyle
• Music
• Science
• Sports
• Technology

Each time you “stumble”, you are presented with a web page that matches one of the subjects you like. If using the the Firefox browser, there is an add-on for stumbleupon. It gives a tool bar with a “stumble button”, a “thumbs up button” and “thumbs down button”. After hitting the “stumble button” and getting a web page, you can press the “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” button to express your pleasure or displeasure. This is feedback to help them tailor the sites to your liking. You do not have to hit “thumbs up” or “thumbs down”. You can just hit the “stumble button” and go to the next web site. It is recommended that you specify whether or not you like each site, for a better viewing experience. When going to stumbleupon using the Internet Explorer browser, you are presented with the “stumble”, “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” buttons. From stumbleupon.com, you can see all the sites you liked. You can also opt to see sites on any one subject.

Gizmo’s Tech Support Alert

www.techsupportalert.com

This site specializes in recommending the best, windows based, FREE programs. They have a staff of over 600 volunteers doing the research. They are not financed by, nor affiliated with, any software firms – so they are unbiased. Some of these programs are so good, that I run them under Linux by installing a windows emulator called “Wine”.

Mozilla

www.mozilla.com

This is not one of the “Five Best Web Sites”, but it is where you go to download Firefox (a great browser) and Thunderbird (a great POP email program).

FIREFOX

This great alternative to Internet Explorer is not only faster, but allows the addition of numerous add-ons to enhance your browsing experience. Having mentioned some Firefox add-ons in this article, I will explain how to get them:

Pull down the “Tools Menu”, and click on “Add-ons”. In the upper left-hand corner of the screen, click on “Get Add-ons”. Then, on the upper right of the screen, click on “Get All Add-ons”. A search screen will appear. Replace the words “Search for Add-ons” with whatever interests you. For this example, enter evernote, and depress the ENTER key. Descriptions of one or more add-ons will be presented. In this case, only one will be presented. Click on “Add to Firefox”. Read the “Terms” and click on “Accept and Install”. Some add-ons will have a button that says “Install Now” After clicking on the button, a screen will appear saying “Restart to complete the update”. After closing ALL occurrences of Firefox, the next time you open Firefox, that add-on will be there. In this case, there will be a button with the icon of an elephant (because an elephant never forgets). If you only have one occurrence of Firefox, you can click “Restart Firefox” on the right side of the line “Restart to complete the update”